2nd driver pleads guilty to injuring bicyclist in Brookfield

June 22, 2010|By Victoria Pierce, Special to the Tribune

The second of two Chicago men who purposely took turns last year striking bicyclists with their car in Brookfield pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of an accident.

Erik Fabian, 20, was sentenced to two years of intensive probation, which will include a strict curfew and community service.

Assistant State's Attorney Mike Pattarozzi said Fabian was driving in Brookfield with his friend, Armando Reza, 18, about 6:30 a.m. May 31, 2009, when they saw a bicyclist.

Reza bet Fabian he wouldn't hit the bicyclist. Fabian took the bet and struck David Silvis, 52, of Oak Park, knocking him off his bike in the 9200 block of Washington Avenue. Fabian and Reza then drove away.

Pattarozzi said Fabian told police they laughed about the incident, then switched places so Reza could find another bicyclist to bump. A few blocks away Reza struck Juan Gamboa, 34. They were arrested a short time later.

Reza pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and driving under the influence of alcohol last week and was sentenced to 10 days in jail as well as two years of intensive probation.

Cook County Judge Carol Kipperman sentenced both men.

Neither victim was seriously injured, although Silvis was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was treated for scrapes and bruises.

The Active Transportation Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group, said in a statement that it was "outraged" at the "insufficient sentences" given Fabian and Reza.

"Violent behavior has no place on our roads," the group said in the statement. "This instance should have served as an opportunity to condemn aggression toward bicyclists, which frequently ends in serious injury or death. Instead, it reinforces the complacency around traffic violence in our communities."